alex speier

Success Never Gets Old: Youth Movement Now Fuels Red Sox Run

In some ways, it was less important that Jed Lowrie delivered a walk-off hit than that he had the opportunity to do so.

Last night, Lowrie secured a place in Red Sox history. The rookie shortstop’s game-winning, two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 3-2 win over the Angels punched his team’s ticket to the American League Championship Series.

If Lowrie never batted again, he would enjoy a sliver of lifetime fame. Just as former Braves catcher Francisco Cabrera is remembered for a walk-off hit in the 1992 NLCS, Lowrie has ensured that he will be, at the least, an answer to a trivia question and a source of warm recollections in New England.

But his hit against Angels right-handed reliever Scot Shields had even broader significance for the health of the Red Sox organization. The fact that the Sox remained committed to a struggling young talent offered evidence of a strength that could help to sustain the club for years to come.

“You’re going to wilt and die as an organization if you don’t commit to young players,” said Sox G.M. Theo Epstein. “That’s one of the things the Red Sox stands for. It’s typical for this club right now to get contributions from young guys, new players, veterans, our core players. We win as a team.”

The Sox have determined that their long-term success depends on their ability to turn promising young players into solid to excellent big leaguers. As such, they are unflinching in leaning on youth, even through times of struggle. Lowrie was a particularly striking example of the phenomenon.

Through September 2, he had been little short of a revelation. Given a job as the team’s everyday shortstop when Julio Lugo went down just before the All-Star break with a season-ending injury, he hit .283 with a .361 OBP and .812 OPS along with a whopping 39 RBIs in 48 games.

Then, he endured his inevitable first big-league slump, hitting .197 with a .284 OBP and .560 OPS in his final 23 games of the regular season. During that time, the switch-hitting Lowrie had a particularly tough time from the left side of the plate, hitting .154/.237/.449 and striking out 25 times in 52 at-bats.

There had been plenty of calls to either scale back Lowrie’s playing time or to start pinch-hitting for him against right-handers. It would have been easy for the team to examine the situation in the ninth-inning last night and opt for a veteran left-handed presence (Alex Cora? Sean Casey?) to hit in place of the rookie. But the team didn’t contemplate such a move.

“There was no talk about pinch-hitting for him,” said Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in our young players. They’re a huge part of this team. We’ve got to show confidence in them. I think that’s part of building a really good player.”

Lowrie understood that his results had been disappointing during the season’s final month. As such, he was grateful to see that the team did not shy from keeping him in the lineup.

There was no conversation with manager Terry Francona or the coaching staff in recent weeks about his role. There did not have to be. Everyday, Lowrie would see his name inked into the left side of the infield (whether at short or third base). He recognized that the team had placed its faith in him.

“I feel like I’ve earned that respect from them, but they also gave me the opportunity this year to come up and earn that respect,” said Lowrie. “For the younger players like me and Masterson, if you prove yourself in the minor leagues, they’re going to give you a shot up here.”

Last night and throughout the series, Lowrie justified that faith. Entering the ninth inning of Game 4, he was 3-for-10 in the Division Series, and also had some loud outs (most notably a potential game-winning lineout to right in Game 3).

Lowrie recalled that Shields struck him out on three straight curveballs in Sunday’s 12-inning marathon. When he stepped into the box in the ninth inning last night, he sat on the hook.

Shields delivered just such an offering on the first pitch. Lowrie tugged it through the right side, just past diving Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick, allowing Jason Bay to score from second.

Soon, the swarm of teammates’ hands rained down on Lowrie’s head after his walkoff. The moment was gratifying not just to Lowrie but also to members of the organization whose belief in the young shortstop was unwavering.

“With Jed, 90 percent of the time he was up here he was getting hits like that all the time for us,” said Magadan. “He went through a tough streak over the last month of the season where he felt like he lost his stroke a little bit.

“He worked his (tail) off to get his swing back. He’s hit some balls hard in those situations and hasn’t had much to show for it. For him to be able to come through, I’m so happy. Everything else that happened in the game was worth it to see that happen.”

That sentiment highlights a key organizational tenet, and a transformation that has taken place in startlingly short order. In 2003, the Red Sox did not feature a single rookie on their postseason roster. In 2004, only Kevin Youkilis had such status.

In 2007 and again this season, the Sox have been loaded with the young products of its farm system. They are not afraid to succeed or fail based on the performances of players who are still feeling their way in the majors.

“They groom them the right way. They bring them into the system and teach them how to win. That’s important,” said outfielder and first baseman Mark Kotsay. “There are only a few teams that really, truly have the confidence (in young players) that this team has. Those teams seem to rise to the top.”

With his hit yesterday, Lowrie made a major contribution to that process. He is not alone in that regard.

“(Lowrie’s) going to be a good player for a long time,” said Dustin Pedroia. “We’ve got a lot of those guys on this team.”

Such words offer a reminder that the Sox are competing for glory not just this October, but potentially for years to come.

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